The Story Behind Mississippi’s Education Turnaround with Rachel Canter (Ep 76)

In this episode, Anna Stokke is joined by Rachel Canter, Director of Education Policy for the Reinventing America’s Schools Project and author of the report Inside the Mississippi Marathon. They explore how Mississippi transformed from one of the lowest-performing states in fourth grade reading and math to one of the highest-performing in the U.S., despite Mississippi being one of the poorest states.

They discuss the policies behind the turnaround, including growth-based accountability, early literacy initiatives, higher expectations for students, evidence-based instruction, and being transparent with parents.  They also discuss how Mississippi improved education outcomes for some of the most marginalized students and what other jurisdictions can take away from Mississippi’s success.  This episode is a must listen for educators, school leaders, policymakers, parents, and anyone interested in learning how sustained, evidence-based reform can improve student outcomes.

This episode is available in video at www.youtube.com/@chalktalk-stokke

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:22] Introduction

[00:04:51] Mississippi’s education system in the 90s

[00:10:57] Holding underperforming schools accountable

[00:14:25] Transforming accountability through A–F school grades

[00:20:16] The Literacy-Based Promotion Act and the Science of Reading

[00:28:07] Being honest with parents about student performance

[00:32:09] Third-grade retention: The controversy and the impact

[00:39:44] The three Ps of reform: Policy, People, and Persistence